My Dollar Store Aliens: Super-tech spiders

[gloriousbattle]

Even though the Dollar Store Aliens contest is on hold for the moment, I am proceeding with my own...

...SUPER TECH SPIDERS!  THE MASTERS OF FORCE!

In the (seasonal) Halloween section at Walmart I found packets of 12 small plastic spiders encased in clear, high-bounce balls (super balls) for $2.00.  "Ah ha!" I said to myself, "Here is a definite start on an alien race!"  I conceive of the clear ball as a forcefield, and thought that I might mount them on a
triangle made of small, clear glass marbles, which would make an interesting and unconventional base.  The whole thing would be held together with a small amount of clear epoxy.

In my estimation, this would make a really good, super-high-tech alien race.  The kind that has the enterprise security men calling up to the bridge, screaming "Our phasers have no effect on them Captain!"  Thus, I am going for a very simple design, and will post photos of before and after when I get them made.

However, I have run into a snag.  The clear plastic balls have a rather thick seam line running along the middle, that kind of ruins the forcefield effect.  What to do about this?  Some thoughts:

1. I could try to remove it with some brasso or jewlers rouge, and then brush some clear epoxy back over the area.  This would take a long time, however, and I don't think that I could ever get a uniform color or a truly spherical effect by this means.

2. I could spray the whole thing with a clear gloss coat, which might cover up the seam to some extent.

3. I could try to cover the seam with some kind of solid band, and put little controls and blinking lights on it, making it the "forcefield generator."  The only trouble with this would be that it would ruin the simplicity of effect that I was going for.

Suggestions?

Also, I am very much into the idea of forcefields and representing energies with solid, translucent parts, and was thinking I might try to make a small diorama with this, in which a human figure with an energy weapon was firing upon the spider, with the energy beam bursting harmlessly upon his forcefield, while the alien monster looms ever closer...

How would you go about constructing such an energy beam, and the resulting interplay of energies?

Regards

[Froggy the Great]

For the seam:  get a washer the same diameter as the seam and attach it there - you can attach weapons and locomotion to the washer and it'll be more plausible than things hanging in a forcefield.

This also makes a great mount-point for weapons - drill into the rubber and stick the weapons on the washer, but protruding in to the rubber via the hole so it looks like the spider is controlling it.  Same thing with pins or something for controls.

I really look forward to seeing what you do with this.

[Froggy the Great]

I found the spiders you were talking about.  Those are amazingly cool!

So cool in fact that all my other ideas vanished when I saw them.  I might pick up a set and mod them myself, if imitation will flatter instead of offend.

[rob_alderman]

Do take some photographs! 

[Froggy the Great]

I ended up using some spider legs from Reaper, so if you do pull this off, you still get the bragging rights.

[warrenss2]

Do take some photographs!

-- I second this!!! I would like to see pics of the efforts of both of you!

[Froggy the Great]

I've posted mine in a different thread (linked), so as to not hijack this one.

[gloriousbattle]

I found the spiders you were talking about.  Those are amazingly cool!

So cool in fact that all my other ideas vanished when I saw them.  I might pick up a set and mod them myself, if imitation will flatter instead of offend.

No offense whatsoever.  Imitate away.  In any case, I got busy at work, so I'd like to see what someone else does with them.